Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ 5pm opening rush and Nagwon parking: Tapgol

A weekend review of Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch in Jongno, Seoul: the waiting situation, outdoor BBQ tables, frozen pork belly, and parking.

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch, right by Jongno 3-ga Station, is a great spot for frozen pork belly eaten outdoors. The sign literally says "Tapgol Gongwon." Open daily from 17:00 to 01:00.

So this is why people love outdoor BBQ

I felt it the moment I sat down — this is exactly why people rave about outdoor grilling. The sign out front literally says Tapgol Gongwon haha. My sister's family and I met up in Seoul on a whim this weekend — National Museum of Korea, then Yeouido Hangang Park, then destroying some frozen pork belly at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga, then a walk through Insa-dong. A full proper Seoul outing. And the frozen pork belly we had at Jongno 3-ga was the highlight.

Weekend wait? Just do the 5pm opening rush

We visited on the weekend and there was no wait. But that's only because we did an opening rush ourselves, just in case! They open at 5pm and we timed our arrival exactly for that. We were the second table in — and by the time we finished eating, the street outside was packed with people at their own outdoor tables! Total luck haha. With the weather this nice, a lot of people show up for outdoor BBQ these days, so I'd really recommend rushing the opening.

The menu lineup

The menu at this well-known BBQ spot near Jongno 3-ga Station.

• Frozen pork belly
• Frozen pork collar
• Frozen duck loin
• Beef brisket point
• Beef short rib flap
• Beef chuck flap tail

Along with these meat options there are side dishes and set menus. Most tables seemed to be going with the set menu!

The table setting and picnic basket

Once you order, they set the table for you: green onion kimchi, salted squid jeotgal, bracken fern namul, radish salad, kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, garlic and chili, ssamjang (dipping paste), wasabi, and even salt and pepper for the pork belly. Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga is strictly an outdoor-seating restaurant — indoors there's only a restroom, a self-service bar, and the kitchen haha.

And they fill up a picnic basket with all the tableware, cups, and even wet wipes you'll need! My niece came along and thought this little touch was so fun.

Pork belly under the stone wall

Once we got everything set up, the view from our outdoor table was just gorgeous — eating frozen pork belly right under the old stone wall! And the weather was perfect for it too. It had been a while since our last outdoor BBQ, so everyone was buzzing with excitement.

What we ordered

• Tapgol set (frozen pork belly + pork collar + duck loin)
• Extra frozen pork belly x2 servings
• Steamed egg
• Rice x2
• Kimchi fried rice x2
• Soju, beer

Fall really is the best season for outdoor BBQ. It's still warm during the day, but once it hits 5pm it cools right down — perfect grilling weather! We'd met up on a whim with my sister's family and everyone was buzzing about the outdoor pork belly. We hadn't even started eating yet and it was already delicious haha.

The atmosphere and weather made Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga taste twice as good. We'd already gone to the National Museum earlier in the day and ordered fried chicken at Hangang Park, so I worried we wouldn't have room — but it was so good it went right down haha.

How to grill it and the squid jeotgal pairing

Lay the meat on the grill, sprinkle a bit of pepper, and grill it up nicely. Grill the kimchi and bean sprouts alongside it too, and you're ready to eat!

This was my first time trying outdoor-grilled pork belly and it was so good ㅠ.ㅠ I'll definitely come back with my husband next time haha.

Grill up the bracken fern side dish too! The side dishes were clean and tasty across the board. The bean sprouts and kimchi were nicely seasoned, perfect alongside the frozen pork belly. And Tapgol Gongwon also serves salted squid jeotgal — wrap it into your pork belly and roll it up, and it's incredible! There's a whole bowl of it at the self-bar so I scooped up plenty haha.

I couldn't capture the full vibe of that day in photos ㅠ.ㅠ It was so nice! The real trees planted at Tapgol Gongwon, the autumn sunlight, pork belly eaten under the stone wall... and being there with my niece made it even happier.

Extra pork belly and kimchi fried rice

After finishing the set, we ordered two more servings of pork belly. The extra pork belly comes out served in a little jar like this haha — so neatly plated. There was more food than we expected, so we ended up eating plenty. (My niece had been snacking too much so she skipped it — the four adults finished it all haha.)

We were already full, but the kimchi fried rice looked so good in other people's reviews that we ordered two servings right away. It comes out wrapped in foil with a fried egg on top.

It was a bit mild, so they stir-fried it together with the bean sprouts and kimchi we'd grilled earlier, plus bits of the leftover pork belly chopped up! And... it was so good~~~~ Everyone had been worried about being too full, but we finished the fried rice down to the last bite haha.

Full by the time we left, plus parking info

We did the opening rush and were the second table to sit down — but by the time we finished and left, there were two full rows of tables, completely packed with a waiting line forming!

Tapgol Gongwon is genuinely a great BBQ restaurant. On top of that, the atmosphere and view make it twice as enjoyable — this is exactly why people do outdoor pork belly. Definitely a place I want to visit again! For anyone wondering about parking at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga, my sister's family drove and parked at the street-level public lot below Nagwon Arcade — it's about a 5-minute walk from there.